Is Puglia price visiting? Till very lately, my reply would’ve been “completely.” The heel of Italy‘s boot was, for a time, certainly one of my favourite components of the nation.
That modified fairly dramatically throughout my newest go to there, for causes I’ll clarify all through this piece. I usually pinched myself as I drove round, and never in a great way. “Might I’ve imagined how superb Puglia was?”
Simply so we’re clear, I received’t be going as far as to advocate that you simply don’t go to Puglia. Nonetheless, I’ll share candid causes I could not return there sooner or later, and I sure hope you’ll meditate on them.
Why I Fell In Love With Puglia
For a very long time, I insisted that Puglia was price visiting, even when pals and colleagues supplied me with testimony on the contrary. The primary time I traveled there, in 2013, my journey was completely blissful. After beginning in Otranto with its paradisiacal seashores, I headed south to sun-bleached Santa Maria di Leuca, looping again round to the walled, seaside metropolis of Gallipoli, the place I left no less than a number of items of my coronary heart.
Wanting again on my journey, in fact, there have been loads of flaws. I didn’t have a lot a refund then, which meant I bought round principally by bus and needed to forgo one of the best Puglia resorts and eating places. Furthermore, my pictures expertise on the time left lots to be desired; my reminiscences are extra compelling than a lot of the photographs I shot. My latest return to Puglia suggests my thoughts was simply as imperfect at capturing photographs as my former digital camera, nevertheless.
5 Causes Puglia is Overrated
Getting round is a nightmare
After I got here again to Puglia in 2021, I assumed that having a rental automotive would make touring across the area simpler—how improper I used to be! Along with the truth that a number of locations I needed to go to have been inaccessible by automotive (extra on that in a second), sluggish pace limits and different deterrents in most cities and cities canceled out a lot of the benefit driving would in any other case have introduced.
Many superb locations are off-limits
Seashores have been a lot of the motive I as soon as thought-about Puglia price visiting. Nonetheless, a lot of my favorites in Otranto (i.e. most in all places moreover the primary metropolis seashores) at the moment are non-public, both trapped behind the partitions of resorts, or behind for-pay parking tons and entrance cubicles. I assume it’s petty to bemoan this—nothing good stays free for lengthy—but it surely does make me surprise why I’d ever come again to Puglia once more.
Media overexposure
I really feel like there was a time, perhaps round 2015 or 2016, that actually each journey blogger moreover me was singing the praises of Matera. Now, Matera is superior—it’s one of many world’s oldest cities, in any case—but it surely’s not the end-all be-all of Europe, and even Italy. And whereas common vacationers usually are not as plugged-in to journey bloggers as I’m, overexposure does diminish the affect a visit to Puglia may in any other case have.
Excessive costs, low worth
Low costs have been by no means a think about why I discovered Puglia price visiting. The area was all the time as costly as Rome or Florence, which stung at lot extra after I was 28 than it did at 36. On the similar time, given the grievances I aired within the previous paragraphs, the comparatively excessive costs you pay to journey by means of Puglia appear to sting much more, making it appear much more low worth by comparability.
It’s simply not all that
Earlier than I arrived in Alberobello in mid-September 2021, an Italian buddy of me warned me that town would underwhelm me—she wasn’t improper. Whereas the long-lasting trulli homes have been cute—they have been beautiful at sundown—I noticed what she meant. Puglia, taken within the context of your Italy journey, is charming however not incomparable. It’s an attractive further place to see, however not important to understanding the nation.
How Many Days Do You Want in Puglia?
Assuming my journey report from 2021 hasn’t completely put you off visiting Puglia, I’d advocate spending no less than 3-4 days right here. Should you take your time, you might be able to discover your manner round among the inconveniences I skilled on my admittedly whirlwind return journey. Then again, you don’t need to keep too lengthy—in the event you do dislike Puglia, each extra day you spend will appear torturous.
The factor is, if you find yourself feeling Puglia is price visiting, you’ll be able to all the time come again sooner or later. (I wouldn’t advocate ready eight years, although, lest you come again jaded and devastated like I did). Spending two days in Salento (i.e. southern Puglia) after which devoting a day every to Alberobello and Matera looks like a recipe for achievement, no less than as a lot success as is feasible right here.
Different FAQ About Journey in Puglia
What’s Puglia greatest recognized for?
Puglia, to the extent it’s recognized in any respect, is thought for the trulli homes of Alberobello, the traditional metropolis of Matera and for having a few of Italy’s greatest seashores. Though it does have vineyards and comparatively good wine, I personally discover solutions within the media that it’s “the subsequent Tuscany” to be dramatic and overblown.
Which is healthier, Sicily or Puglia?
This comparability is a bit unfair, on condition that Sicily is a large island (and was an impartial kingdom, for many of its historical past) and Puglia is a moderately-sized and poorly demarcated peninsula. Certainly, I discover Sicily to be way more of a self-contained vacation spot, from its singular cities and cities, to iconic pure surroundings like Mt. Etna, to culinary delights like arancini and caponata.
The Backside Line
Is Puglia price visiting? I’ll go away the reply to that query so that you can resolve. Nonetheless, in the event you’re headed there’ll sky-high expectations on account of one thing you learn on-line, I’d recommend you modify them. Early visits to Puglia actually impressed me. Nonetheless, I now wonder if that was on account of Puglia’s inherent standing as certainly one of essentially the most lovely locations in Italy, or whether or not my relative inexperience as a journey the previous few occasions I used to be there brought about me to see the area with rose-colored glasses.
Robert Schrader is a journey author and photographer who’s been roaming the world independently since 2005, writing for publications comparable to “CNNGo” and “Shanghaiist” alongside the best way. His weblog, Depart Your Every day Hell, supplies a mixture of journey recommendation, vacation spot guides and private essays overlaying the extra esoteric points of life as a traveler.
